The End of the Line
by Sylvanna
Summary: Tyler is a freshman, living in a place in New York city with her collegiate friend, Anna. When Tyler is forced to move with her Mom following an unfortunate disaster which leaves Anna dead...odd things begin to happen to this former city slicker. Was Leah the end of the genetic line? Or was she really the beginning?
1. The Move

The new school, my Mom promised, would give me a new chance. A new chance to start over; where I could reinvent myself, casting off the life I once had with my best friend. I had lived with her – an apartment on the South Side of town. Then she died. It was shocking, sudden, snipping off the life I had kept to myself. This new school would offer a new chance, my Mom promised. Nestled in the mountains of Georgia, the green spreads of pine trees were starkly different from the northern streets of NYC, my hometown. I didn't hate it, but I was still numb. So maybe my reactions were slightly tainted by my wash of a life.

"Now, the new place is in an apartment building. Like your old place with Anna." My Mom said, turning on a gravel road. The sign at the front read Pine Spruce Apartments on a plain, dirty brick setting. A gravel road? Rural area? This was vastly different from my ever-winding streets and the low hum of street traffic below, accentuated with the high notes of car horns.

My stuff was tucked away in the back of my Mom's Ford Mustang, boxes crumpled and dented. I would have to go shopping tomorrow in downtown Atlanta; the clothes that I packed from Anna's place were sweats, a few pairs of jeans, and a dingy shirt or two. I had one decent outfit…I'd wear it tomorrow, Monday.

Monday: the day my new school life would start. My Mom pulled into a gravel parking lot, (Really? More of this stuff?) instantly turning off the engine and hopping out. She took one long breath, inhaling through her nose and mouth. "Ah. Smell that smog-free air." She prompted me. I wrinkled my nose, opening the back of her car and heaving a box from the back.

Then, out of nowhere, he appeared. Tall, probably 6' 4" or something to my already above average 5' 10". His hair was dark with caramel-dyed tips. Blue-green eyes reflecting the beaches in Hawaii. Hawaii: the last place I'd vacationed with Anna. He peered down at me with something hinting of amusement.

"Hello there." He said in an almost-whisper. I stood silent for a minute. Where the heck had he come from? "I'm Jared," he continued. I realized he wanted to know my name.

"I'm Tyler. Call me Ty." I recited. Everyone had called me Tyler at home. If I really wanted to start over here, I didn't think I could handle anyone's voice calling me Tyler like in New York.

Jared smiling, revealing a gap between his two front teeth. Like mine, I noted.

"So you're new here?" he questioned, taking the box from my arms. Not wanting to be rude, I answered immediately, frowning at his chivalrous taking of my box.

"Yeah. Literally just got here."

Jared grinned again, climbing rickety-looking stairs up to the second floor of apartments. The building was sturdy, woodsy. Looked like an overgrown wood cabin with doors every space or so. He stopped at our new door: apartment 3.

I narrowed my brown eyes. "How'd you know that I live here?"

"It's the only empty room." Jared laughed, kicking the door open with a gentle thud. It was already unlocked. Despite sparse appearances, it was pretty big. Jared dropped the box gently in what I assumed would be my room. The apartment was pre-furnished.

"Okay. How much stuff did you guys bring?" Jared asked, clapping his hands together. I looked up into his eyes for a minute, trying to gauge his expression. I settled on eager, something I wanted to avoid.

I shrugged. "Not much."

My Mom entered then. Her eyes widened, clearly disturbed by the boy in my room.

"Hi," Jared introduced before she could say anything. She set down her box of stuff.

"Hi. I'm Tyler's Mom. And you are?" she said, shaking his hand. It was large in hers.

"Jared. I live here. My Dad owns the place." He explained.

My Mom wiped her hands on her skinny jeans. I had been born when she was only twenty, so she was still fairly young. "Ah," she said. "Do you go to the high school here? Tyler's new. She was homeschooled back in New York."

I cringed. Let the stereotypes flood in.

"Yeah, I do." Jared answered, surprising me with the lack of dread weighing in his tone. "I was homeschooled until my freshman year."

"Oh! Tyler's a freshman. You're a sophomore?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"You'll have to show Tyler around then! She's taking two AP classes because she was a sophomore in two classes back when she was homeschooled."

Jared raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I will. Could I give her a ride to school? The bus never goes this far out."

My Mom looked pleased, happy that I was making a new friend. Wariness oozed in her voice, though. "Just you?"

Jared laughed again, sounding enchanted with my Mom's overprotective antics. "No, there's two other girls in this building that go to high school here. I take them, too."

"Oh." My Mom sighed. "That would be okay, then. What car do you drive?"

"Honda Civic. Fitted it with offroad tires and four wheel drive."

Great. Another car-obsessed guy.

"My Dad did it for me." Jared suddenly added, staring at me. It was like he was answering my thoughts. I backed up a step. Jared turned his eyes to my Mom again.

"She can meet me down there at 6. I can introduce the others to her, then."

My Mom nodded before smiling politely. "She'll be there." She glared at me like she was challenging me not to. Tempting as it was, I planned on complying. I didn't need to miss a day of school.

"You guys have more stuff in your car?" Shifting his weight from hiking-booted foot to foot, Jared looked even more eager than earlier.

"No." My Mom shook her head. Her many curls bobbed.

"See you tomorrow, then. Nice meeting you, Ms….."

"Maxwell."

"Okay, then. Ms. Maxwell. Ty." Jared goodbyed, giving us a short salute before shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans and leaving. I closed the door behind him.

"Well, he was cute." My Mom said, pulling our coffeemaker from her box.

I looked at her like she'd grown a third eye. "I wish."


	2. Nightmares

The first thing I had asked the firemen was if she felt a lot of pain, burning. They said she had probably suffocated….second only to drowning in the way of naturally occurring deaths. Of course, there was nothing we could do then. I still had violent, jarring nightmares. The same one, the same fears….always.

Flames, orange and white, surrounding me in a swath of heat. I'm sweating. I need water. I turn, screaming out loud despite my hoarse voice.

"Anna! ANNA!"

No answer except the occasional scream. I knew she was beside herself, gone. Crippled with fear. Then I jumped. I heard the yells. Outside, below my window three floors – something for me to land on. I jumped, driven mad by the continued heat. But I slipped, taking a fall, my arm slamming into the fire. I screamed; I couldn't take it. Fallingandfallingandfalling, wind on my face, then the soft buoyancy of the thing that caught me. Softly, the last scream from Anna – surrendering, pleading.

I woke up screaming. My Mom was shaking me.

"Tyler! Tyler Rose!" she said, yelling. My eyes snapped open, and my jaw shut.

"How-how long?" I stuttered, clenching the blankets in my right hand. Rachel Maxwell, my mother, was staring at me. Her blue eyes flicked between my eyes.

"Only a few minutes. I'm a light sleeper." She assured me.

I fell backwards, wiping some sticky sweat from my forehead. My wavy hair was plastered to the skin there. Mutinous locks. There was a knock at our door, suddenly. Abruptly. We both froze. I examined the digital clock on my bedside table: it was three in the morning. I got up, trying to ignore the trembling in my legs.

"I'll get it." I managed, taking a few shaky steps. And then more until I reached the pale green wooden door. I unlocked the latches, letting the wood swing on its hinges reveal our midnight guest. It, of course, was Jared. How had he heard me? It was only a few minutes. He was wearing red plaid pajama bottoms and a red tank top. With difficulty, I focused on those turquoise eyes.

"You guys okay?" he said, standing tall at his impressive height. "I heard screaming."

"Um, yeah. I just had a nightmare."

Jared wrinkled his nose. "You get those a lot?"

"Not really." I chuckled, remembering the frightening commonness of my troubling dreams. They weren't rare. Not by a longshot. Hopefully, I'd remember my sleep medicine next time. I didn't want to get us kicked out of our apartment this early in the school year.

"Well, okay. Sweet dreams?" Jared said, waving and leaving down the hall. Odd. How'd he hear me? I shivered. There, in the distance, was a warning howl. From a wolf.

I knew the call because I had done a year-project in my Biology class last year. I had to listen to hours of calls, identify the emotion, and figure out how the wolves were talking to each other. I shut my door, happy that the wolves were outside. Far away.


	3. An Invitation

I met Jared in the parking lot at 6:10. My decent outfit consisted of a long-sleeved brown, tight dress and a faux fur vest. I always had liked how my brown hair was splayed over the material. Jared, however, was nothing less than…..oh, God. No. I don't need another person in my dress. I was too dangerous. They'd get burned…just like Anna. I didn't want this.

"Hi," I said, my eyes skimming his lean, muscled figure against my will. Jared spun. Narrowing his eyes and looking wary, he stroked my fur vest. "Don't worry; it's fake." I teased.

Jared laughed like I had said something really, really funny. "Look at you – already fitting in. Just like a new puppy."

"Like a what?" I asked, hoping for clarification. Had he really just called me a puppy? As in, _woof_? Maybe this school year was a terribly bad idea.

Two girls jogged up to us before I could answer. They were stunning. Dark amber eyes, light icy blond hair. Arching eyebrows over lashed eyes. They didn't wear makeup, both in short, shimmering dresses. These were the girls he drove to school? I was endlessly plain by them. Jared's eyes directed to them. Instantly, his features softened.

The taller girl with a ski slope nose and full, light pink lips chuckled at Jared. "You smell like a dog."

It was funny because he didn't, I assumed. Jared grinned, though.

"Yeah, well, you're pale." He retorted. I felt like I was missing something – their light complexions were flawless. All three of the beautiful people laughed before the shorter girl's gold-hued eyes found me. She breathed in and smiled.

"Who's the newcomer?" she asked, glaring at Jared with affection.

Jared coughed. "That's Tyler. She's new."

"Oh. Well, I'm Kay." The shorter girl greeted, shaking my hand. Her skin was cold, chilly, even.

The taller girl's gaze appraised me. "I'm Leia. Like Star Wars," She said.

I smiled. "Nice to meet you. Like Jared said, I'm Tyler. Tyler Maxwell."

The two girls smiled polite, courteous smiles. I caught them making unison grimaces as soon as I got into Jared's car. I crossed my arms. Right, I was the new girl. They'd make assumptions, right away. I knew this. Strangely, I found myself irritated. I didn't let these kinds of girls get to me in New York – but these pale, slender people really got under my skin.

Wait, what was I saying? I just met them! I was suddenly hot – I could feel heat radiating off of me. Jared slammed his door shut, grinning at me in the middle seat of the back.

"Buckle up, Ty," he said, making a funny face at Kay, who sat in the front seat. Her legs were daintily crossed under her white dress. It contrasted with her hair, even though the strands were light, too. I shrugged to myself. The ride was quiet, peppered with timid questions from Jared about my life in New York. I purposely didn't tell him much. It was as if he was worried that'd he'd offend Kay or, even worse, the beautiful Leia.

We pulled into the school at 7. I was surprised to find it modern, glass walls covering the lobby. Jared stepped out before I could, opening the door for Leia and then Kay. I noticed he forgot me. I slipped out after Leia, who had avoided me the whole ride. Every now and then, she'd flash me a brilliant smile as if she wasn't trying to tell me to stay away from Jared. It was clear that she was, though. I wasn't blind.

I wished I was when I found Kay in all of my classes. She'd glare holes into the back of my head. I had thought that she was older, I mused. Jared was in my chosen elective: creative writing. I kept to myself, wisely. The classes were large. Hardly a single person found me interesting besides inquiring if I was knew. I encountered two boys in the cafeteria who looked like Jared down to the last feature. Only they were older. I shoved past them.

"Hey, Princess!" One teased, hands cupping around his mouth. I ignored him, gritting my teeth.

"Yeah," the other one taunted, "Watch where you're going?"

_She's pretty._

I paused, radically freaking out. I searched for the voice who called me that almost insulting word – I was indescribably unnoticeable – but found no one but the two boys. Smirks rested on their faces, almost reaching a sneer on one.

"Sure," I muttered, avoiding them and taking a seat in the only unoccupied table. My face burned with humiliation. I was overreacting today. Everything was setting me off, almost like after Anna's funeral. Jared plopped down next to me.

On his tray were momentous amounts of food. I took a small bite of some lumpy substance I assumed to be meatloaf. It tasted gross. Hotly, I shoved the food away from me. I'd get a water on the way out. Fizzy water with cherry flavoring. My favorite.

"Enjoying school?" Jared broke my silence.

I smiled, putting on my entirely unconvincing tolerance expression. "It's grand."

"Yikes," Jared said, stuffing his mouth with a massive, buttered roll. It smelled delightful. I cringed. I didn't want bread, or need it. I didn't want to overeat. "Want some?" Jared asked me, holding out his other flaky carbohydrate. In a moment of indecision, I took it and ripped a small bite off. The taste was somehow better, more augmented than usual.

"So me and some buddies are going hunting. We figured, since not a lot of our kind in the area, especially not chicks, that you'd consider joining our pack?"

Pack? Okay, funny. More puppy jokes. "Sure, Jared. Where do I meetcha?" I asked, entertaining his lame attempt at insults. Was I really that roly-poly, eager?

"Make sure you phase. I'm sure you're a very pretty wolf. Your scent is off, smells like human kinda – we'll find you. Just be in the woods somewhere. Sound good?"

I nodded. He seemed serious, which was completely ridiculous. After that, I got up. I seethed, suddenly shucking off my fur vest. The room saturated heat, clogging every exit. I tossed the half-finished roll in a trash can, dashing into the woods. The heat was just like the fire. So hot. Unrelenting.

Unforgiving.

Merciless.


	4. Phasing

I crossed my arms. It was sunny, bright rays accentuating the golden glow my skin seemed to keep. I was mad, and I didn't know why. Maybe it's because I was hoping, for once, to find a home where I could be disliked. But Jared was ever-present with his silly puppy jokes.

Glancing forwards, I noted the dense woods in front of me across from the school. I heard heavy footsteps; Jared was following me. I spun around, my hands clenched into tight fists by my sides.

"What's your problem?" I spat, shocked and hurt by the edge that sliced through my tone. "Just leave me alone!"

Jared stared at me. His dark eyes focused before widening. He took in a large, heaving breath. "You haven't changed yet, have you?"

I didn't wait for his answer, instead jogging and breaking into the thick line of trees. He was insane. This whole thing was insane, irrational. I looked down at my flaming skin. Hesitantly, I touched it to my cheek. It burned there, almost searing hot. Pain ripped through my face. My mouth opened.

"What the…." I trailed off. Jared was behind me, wrapping his arms firmly around my waist. I squirmed, but found his grip unbreakable. "What are you doing?!" I screamed, twisting.

"You're going to be fine. I need you to calm down." He urged.

More anger bubbled into my voice box, forcing out words I didn't want to say. "Calm down? How can I calm down when I've got you hunting me down like I'm some animal! You've never left me alone since we met."

Jared appeared surprised at the lethal seriousness that laced my sentences. "You needed a friend. Besides, you're one of us. In the pack."

"The _pack?_" I seethed. "More idiotic jokes?"

"It's not a joke," Jared enforced, restricting his arms around me. I saw my right arm extend, morph. His grip released. I sprinted away a few feet.

"What did you do to me?" I yelled. The heat was inflaming my arms, my legs, spreading its tendrils up my chest and blocking my thoughts. A welling pain developed into my mind, scratching its devouring path down my spinal cord. I released a pained scream.

"It's okay; you're just phasing for the first time," Jared said, holding out a hand as if to pet me. I tried to answer, but a violent shudder ripped through me at that moment. I let out a strangled gurgle. An odd, canine growl sounded through the woods. Panicked, I did a sweep of the woods. Were those wolves near here? In the day? When my eyes returned to their position in front of me, I saw it. An enormous wolf. Gray and brown, all in random speckles.

_Are you calmed now? _Jared's voice pierced my mind. I tried in vain to scratch my head. I was really going crazy now. What had been a moment ago my regular, tan arms and delicate wrists were now hulking, furry paws. I looked up, my lip pulling back in a snarl.

What? What was I doing? _Snarling?_

_Calm down, Ty. _Jared's voice prompted. I wasn't afraid of the huge animal in front of me – no, I was calmed now that he was near. The intolerable heat was gone, leaving me feeling comfortably warm and….sore.

"What's going on?" I tried to ask, but only a few yelps escaped my mouth. The wolf in front of me tilted his head, amused.

_You are like a puppy. Young and scared. It's hard to explain. _Jared answered my thoughts.

_Woah – who's that hottie? Can we come, Jared? _An excited voice chimed in followed by a deeper, authoritative tone.

_No, Shawn. _It commanded. I felt as if I was being examined for a flaw, a weakness. I was still too dazed to register what was going on. Why were there voices in my head?

_I'll explain it to her, _a new voice, friendly sounding and small. _If you'll allow it, Holton._

_No, let Jared. _The biggest voice – Holton, I guessed, - affirmed. The large wolf stilled in front of me. It was staring directly at me. Yet, I felt no fear.

_Tyler, _Jared said again. The wolf nodded, anticipating an answer.

_Yes? _I thought. There was no use trying to talk out loud to the phantom voices in my head.

_You see that wolf in front of you? That's me._

A feeling like panic and astonishment flooded my veins. After that, though, another feeling felt like it was nudging itself at me. Calm interest. It was like I was being spoken to by another person.

_You're….a dog?_

Jared chuckled. _You are, too. _

I snarled at him. _Very funny. I'm delusional, hallucinating. _

_Are you? _Jared's amused tone returned. He – the wolf – dashed forwards, urging me to follow. I did so, feeling my feet (paws?) thud on the woodsy ground. In the distance, I heard a stream bubbling into a small pond. We reached it in record time. It should have taken us at least an hour. We were there in thirty seconds.

I looked into the glasslike water. The reflection was that of a statuesque wolf. Long, slender muzzle with brown fur. Smallish paws – at least, small compared to Jared's. But the creature was still very big. Lanky and thin, but enormous.

The figure was me. My nightmares were never about me turning into a werewolf, so maybe…

No, that was impossible. I wasn't a wolf.

_You're not dreaming. _Jared's voice chided.

I growled. _If I'm not dreaming, then you're not answering my thoughts._

_It's a pack thing. But we have to get back; unless, you wanted to skip school today. _

I shook my furry head. I felt Jared's emotions lift, and he transformed back into himself…that is, without clothes. I barked.

_Calm down, Ty. You can look now. You might not want to phase back, though…it'll hurt the first time, and we don't have any clothes for girls. Here, let me ride on your back to your house._

I stared at him with astonishment painting my face like a Scarlett Letter. He climbed onto my back without waiting for an answer, now wearing some sweatpants. Where the heck had he gotten those? His weight felt light.

"You're not as big as Holton." Jared grumbled aloud, shifting.

I snarled at him. _I'm also not a wolf…wait, is Holton another wolf?_

Jared finally found a position that didn't grind my skinny frame into his bottom. "Of course he is. We all are."

_Even those two girls?_

"No," Jared laughed, "Not them. They're something else entirely."

Indignantly, I tumbled forward, getting my bearings and speeding towards the apartment. We were there momentarily. Rubbing his back, Jared crawled down from me. "You're not very comfortable."

_Yeah, well, you aren't either. _

Jared laughed. I was past asking odd questions; I'd just have to figure this out on my own.

"Is your Mom home?" He asked. I shook my head.

_No, she has work today down at the Burberry Inn._

Jared grinned. "Did you want me to pick you out some clothes?" He winked at me.

_Seeing as I don't want to 'phase back,' or whatever, sure. _

Jared jogged up to my apartment, kicking the door open. _Your door is broken. _He said mischievously. Still smiling, he appeared a moment later with some clothes in his arms.

"Go into the woods. Phase back and get changed. We should get back to the school in time for it to get out." He instructed me. I did as he said….I found that phasing back was easy. However, it felt like someone was ripping the outer layers of my skin off. Not entirely pleasant.

_See? Told you it hurt! _Jared's smug banter interrupted my fury at his clothing choice; one of Anna's old outfits. It was a gold, casual minidress. He paired it with some brown leggings.

_Jared! _I yelled in my thoughts.

_What? It was all I could find._

A low warning growl snapped into our conversation. _Jared, play nice. _

It was Holton's voice. I recognized him as the star of the football team, the hulking senior with an introverted personality. Everyone at school knew who he was, but they never discussed him at length. They didn't know about his wolfy secret.

The young, eager, exited voice tipped into the stream of thoughts; my guess was that Holton had been keeping the others quiet in order for Jared to calm me down. Emerging from the woods, I shot a disdainful glance at Jared. He shrugged, phasing into his wolf form. I was dwarfed by the animal.

_Hi! I'm Aiden! _The energetic tweeting voice said.

_Hi…..I'm Tyler. _

One voice I hadn't heard before spoke up. _We know who you are. _

_Yeah – and you're smokin' hot! _The final voice affirmed. I grimaced, hiking up my leg to grip Jared's shaggy fur. He rocketed off, nearly bucking me from him. I held on, flattening my body against his wolf form.

_I'm Logan. _The voice who I hadn't heard before introduced quietly. It seemed to be searching for something, gauging me. Who was Logan?

_He's just the grumpy sourpuss we all know and love. _Aiden chittered.

_Doesn't matter, as long as he backs off of Tyler, babe. I'm Shawn. _

Jared growled and I felt his wave of irritated annoyance as it entered the communication lines.

_Okay, I get it. You want her. I'll back off. _Shawn defensively muttered.

Logan interjected him. _Or maybe he just wants you to shut up._

_Yeah, _I thought, rubbing my throbbing temples, _shutting up would be nice. _


End file.
